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Learning to jump a mountain bike first requires you to find a proper jump you can practice on. Building things is fun, so let’s look at how to build tabletops — a great place to start.

We’ll then move on to building doubles, hip jumps and step-ups. For tips on learning how to ride the jumps, see our guide to how to jump a mountain bike.

The tools you’ll need for building dirt jumps

A sharp spade

A shovel

A medium-sized wood saw

A gardening brush

A wheelbarrow

A gardening hoe

A gardening fork

The rules of building dirt jumps

Only build where you have permission. Clean up after yourself.

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How to build a tabletop jump in 11 easy steps

1. Clean up

First up, thoroughly clear any debris, etc from the area where you want your tabletop to stand.

2. Build solid foundations

Have a search for dead wood that you can use to make a solid foundation to your jump.

3. Scope out the centre of your jump

Lay the wood widthways across the table where you think the centre of the jump will be. This will make it easier when you want to turn your jump into a double (the idea is that you can pull out the middle without affecting the take-off or landing — more on that below).